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Thursday, December 11, 2014

The Ancient Egyptians were
extremely religious people and had very elaborate burial rituals, as well as
complex beliefs about life after death.According to Ancient
Egyptian myth, death wasn’t the end of life– it was just a process that every
soul must go through in order to reach the next level of eternal life (the
afterlife).

In order to achieve eternal life, they believed you had to preserve the
dead body. This was accomplished by
mummifying it.The mummy would then be
placed inside the tomb with other vital items that they thought they would need
in the afterlife.Mummies were also
accompanied by the death mask.This gave
the dead a face in the afterlife, protected the face and helped to ensure that
the spirit could find the right body to return to.Students discussed the amazing discovery of
King Tutankhamen’s tomb and examined the solid gold death mask that was found
on his mummy.

Next students set out to design their own death masks.Using a mask mold each student used papier mache to create their own
mask.The headdresses on many Egyptian
masks showed images of Egyptian myths and gods.On the student headdresses they needed to include symbols that could
represent the things that are important to them.

Second grade students learned
about the holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrated in Mexico on
November 1st and 2nd.El Dia de los Muertos is not
the Mexican version of Halloween. Mexicans have celebrated the Day of
the Dead since the year 1800 B.C.It is not scary or morbid. There are no
pictures or images of dead people, ghosts, witches, or the devil.

This fiesta is marked by the
invitation by the living to the dead to return to their family home for a
visit. Families place photographs of their loved ones who have passed on at the
deceased’s gravesite or on a family altar. They also place offerings of
flowers, drinks and food alongside the photographs. This ritual is particularly
important for those who have been lost in the year since the previous festival,
and is a way of coming to terms with the death of someone loved and missed.

It doesn’t honor death, but
their dead relatives. It’s a time for them to reflect on their lives, heritage,
ancestors and the meaning of their existence.It is not a sad ritual. It’s a
day of happiness because they are remembering loved ones.

The well-known Calaveras
statues depicting skeletons participating in the activities of the living- from
cooking to playing in mariachi bands- take their place on the altar, where
their comic appearance brings a smile to the faces of the grieving.

Second grade students created
their own Calaveras using art straws and collage.

About Me

I am the elementary art teacher at the Garfield School- teaching grades pre-K-5. I graduated from Tufts/The School of the Museum of Fine Arts with a BA in Anthropology and BFA in Fine Art. I also received my Masters from the same schools! I love art and I'm excited to share what I know with my students!!

Check out some art for FREE!!

Most museum host a free night -so there's no excuse not to go and check out some great art!!!!

*The Musum of Fine Arts in Boston is free every Wednesday after 4pm and they are open until 9:45!

*The Institute of Contemporary Art is free every Thursday from 5-9pm. It is also FREE for families (up to 2 adults accompanied by children 12 and under) on the last Saturday of each month with the exception of December.In addition children under 17 are always free!

*The Peabody Essex Museum offers free admission to children 16 and under

*The Gardner museum doesn't offer a free night but they do offer some interesting discounts...check out their page at gardnermuseum.org - look under planning a visit for discount options- including free admission for life if your name is Isabella!

*The Decordova is a great museum with an amazing outdoor sculpture garden--perfect for a visit in the warmer months. Active Duty Military Personnel and their families receive free admission and they offer Free First Wednesdays: Non-group visitors receive free admission on the first Wednesday of the month.